Appeals Court Says Teen Climate Lawsuit Can Go To Trial

A three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against the Trump Administration’s attempts to quash a trial over climate change.

Some of the youth plaintiffs in front of the Eugene Federal Courthouse.

Credit Rachael McDonald

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The lawsuit filed by 21 young people claims the government is endangering their future.

The suit, “Juliana versus United States” claims the government is willfully failing to prevent climate change. The Trump Administration had petitioned the court for a writ of mandamus, a rarely used legal maneuver that would have prevented the case from going forward. This after a federal judge in Oregon had denied motions to dismiss. Julia Olson is attorney for the youth plaintiffs.“We were really excited and relieved to have the decision so we can move forward and get a new trial date from the district court and get as quickly to trial as possible.”The lawsuit says the government has known for decades that climate change is caused by carbon emissions but failed to make changes to reverse the effects. Olson hopes for a trial date in the fall.

The 21 young people who are suing the federal government over climate change are waiting for an appeals court to rule on whether their case can go forward. Today, [Monday] would have been their first day in Eugene Federal Court in the lawsuit.

A three judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Monday in a case brought by 21 youths against the federal government over climate change. The Trump Administration is seeking to quash the case before it goes to trial.